Top 45 Dynasty League Starting Pitchers: Take Two

Let’s wrap up our latest round of Dynasty League rankings with a look at starting pitchers. How do some of the “older” top options, like Roy Halladay and Johan Santana, fall when we are looking two, three or more years ahead? Let’s take a look:

Tim Lincecum – San Francisco Giants

Zack Greinke – Kansas City Royals

Roy Halladay – Philadelphia Phillies

Felix Hernandez – Seattle Mariners

CC Sabathia – New York Yankees

Dan Haren – Arizona Diamondbacks

Jon Lester – Boston Red Sox

Justin Verlander – Detroit Tigers

Johan Santana – New York Mets

Yovani Gallardo – Milwaukee Brewers

Ubaldo Jimenez – Colorado Rockies

Clayton Kershaw – Los Angeles Dodgers

Cole Hamels – Philadelphia Phillies

Josh Johnson – Florida Marlins

Josh Beckett – Boston Red Sox

Chris Carpenter – St. Louis Cardinals

Tommy Hanson – Atlanta Braves

Adam Wainwright – St. Louis Cardinals

James Shields – Tampa Bay Rays

Cliff Lee – Seattle Mariners

Brandon Webb – Arizona Diamondbacks

Stephen Strausburg – Washington Nationals

Chad Billingsley – Los Angeles Dodgers

Matt Garza – Tampa Bay Rays

Brett Anderson – Oakland Athletics

Ricky Nolasco – Florida Marlins

Wandy Rodriguez – Houston Astros

Matt Cain – San Francisco Giants

David Price – Tampa Bay Rays

John Lackey – Boston Red Sox

Jake Peavy – Chicago White Sox

Rich Harden – Texas Rangers

Scott Baker – Minnesota Twins

Rick Porcello – Detroit Tigers

Jered Weaver – Los Angeles Angels

Clay Buchholz – Boston Red Sox

A.J. Burnett – New York Yankees

Brian Matusz – Baltimore Orioles

Aroldis Chapman – Cincinnati Reds

Jorge De La Rosa – Colorado Rockies

John Danks – Chicago White Sox

Wade Davis – Tampa Bay Rays

Carlos Zambrano – Chicago Cubs

Javier Vazquez – New York Yankees

Gavin Floyd – Chicago White Sox

Thoughts:

Roy Halladay is among the elite pitchers in the game, there is just no questioning that. How much of an impact does his age have on fantasy owners, however? As much as I’d love to push Felix Hernandez above him, I just can’t do it. Halladay is too good and considering he’s now in the NL, I just couldn’t pass him up.

Given his history of injuries, do Dynasty League owners really want to put much faith into Chris Carpenter? The young, established options certainly look a whole lot more intriguing to me.

Johan Santana is one of the elite, but at 31-years old you have to wonder how much longer he has left at this level. I can’t drop him below the Gallardo’s and Kershaw’s, quite yet, but wouldn’t blame anyone from doing so on draft day.

Bad luck aside, Ricky Nolasco has the potential to be a solid #2 pitcher for many years to come.

How will Jake Peavy perform outside of Petco Park? Personally, I wouldn’t be willing to take the gamble, especially in a Dynasty League. If he struggles, the selection will haunt you for many years to come given the other options you would’ve had to overlook.

Speaking of moving to a new ballpark, does anyone truly trust Javier Vazquez pitching in the new Yankees Stadium? A lot would have to go wrong for me to draft him among my top three pitchers, despite his success in ’09, which is why he fell outside of the Top 40. His AL track record makes him just too much of a risk.

Was Max Scherzer’s omission an oversight? Nope. Like Joba Chamberlain, his future could be in the bullpen, so if you are looking for a long-term starter he’s just not a good selection. Additionally, Scherzer is injury prone and moving to the AL. There are just too many knocks against him to take the risk.

Like Scherzer (and Chamberlain), the huge question surrounding Neftali Feliz is where his future lies, in the rotation or in the bullpen. With him, I’m more willing to bet on him ultimately ending up in the rotation, but I still wouldn’t take him among the Top 45 pitchers on draft day. Outside of that, he’s worth taking the flyer on.

I know Aroldis Chapman has huge control questions, but with a fastball like his how could you not like his potential long-term success?

Once he proves healthy, Brandon Webb is likely to return to being a consistent Top 15 option. Take this opportunity to get him on the cheap.

We all know Stephen Strausburg has the talent to be an elite SP for a long, long time. That means he’s worth selecting early in Dynasty Leagues, because he could solidify your staff for the next 12-years.

What are your thoughts on the rankings? Who belongs? Who doesn’t?

If you would like to see a free preview of the Rotoprofessor 2010 Fantasy Baseball Draft Guide (available for just $5) now including a Top 50 Prospects for 2010 List, click here.

Make sure to also check out our other recently updated Dynasty League Rankings: